


Scary Night

by sisaat



Series: Sleepless Nights [2]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Episode Tag, Episode: S04e07 The Grave Danger Job, F/M, Insomnia, Literal Sleeping Together, Pre-OT3, Spooning, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 23:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10954815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisaat/pseuds/sisaat
Summary: It's hard to sleep after being buried alive





	Scary Night

**Author's Note:**

> So I apparently wrote a sequel to Restless Night. You don't need to read that one first.

Hardison was putting off going to sleep. He might keep putting it off all night if left on his own. The 'on his own' part was being a problem. The silence was suffocating and the loud music he played while he created a new batch of alias for everyone was only helping some. He tried to lose himself in the little details of the life of Meredith Blaine, Sophie's new interior decorator alias, but his concentration was shaky. Too much of it was occupied with reminding himself he had enough air to breath. 

Meredith's Pinterest was a mix of DIY decorations, beautiful cakes, photos of beaches and vegan recipes. He was still in his living room, not a coffin. She liked bold and contrasting colors. Still enough oxygen. She had a Pomeranian named  Pom-Pom. He could still breathe just fine as long as he kept reminding his brain.

If Hardison had known being home alone would be so hard he might have invited Eliot to a movie night. He had still been all soft and quiet when he drove him home earlier, so he might have accepted without even growling about it. As much as provoking Eliot was fun and a nice distraction when he was stressed, he wasn't too confident in his verbal sparring abilities right now. Remembering he could breathe was taking up too much of his attention. 

Remembering to breathe got much harder a moment later when someone grabbed him from behind. 

"Sorry!" Parker said, letting go. "I tried giving you a hug but I did it wrong."

"Maybe a little warning next time," he said once he could talk again.

"Right. Warning." She nodded but didn't try to hug him again. "You're not sleeping."

"I'm just finishing some work."

"No. You _can't_  sleep."

Okay, so she wasn't allowing him an out.

"No. I can't. Usually I can just play video games when I'm too restless to sleep, but it's not working out tonight."

Company was helping, but he couldn't just ask Parker to stay the night. Even if she might not take it to mean anything else.

"When I can't sleep, I usually hide in the vents."

"I can't think of something that I want to do less right now," he said and swallowed hard. Just thinking about being in a small, cramped place, trapped...

"I know. Vents are my thing. Like video games are your thing. But sometimes it doesn't work for me either, so there's something else I do. You should try it." She held up a set of keys. "I brought Lucille."

She was out the door before he could ask what she meant and he found himself following her. He didn't realized he was still in his pajama and not wearing shoes until he was already sitting in the van.

* * *

Today's terror took a back seat while Parker drove. Fearing for your life in the present had a way to make you forget about fearing for your life in the past. Oh god, was Parker taking them to go jump off something high? That was one way to clear your mind of all the needless clutter, but Hardison had had enough adrenaline for the day. But no, they were in a residential area with low buildings and, with a jolt, he recognized the neighborhood.

"We're going to see Eliot?"

"Eliot's bed is the safest place to sleep. He's not going to let anyone stuff you in a coffin."

Hardison didn't doubt that. But he also couldn't imagine Eliot just letting him sleep in his bed like a kid who had a nightmare. But apparently it was a thing Parker did. Not as surprising as it should be. 

"I wonder if he'll mind sleeping with a night-light." He said it like a joke, but the idea of finding himself in the dark made his heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the way Parker swerved abruptly around a corner.

"There's a streetlight in front of his bedroom window. It's never so dark that you can't tell where you are."

Maybe Eliot wouldn't find him childish for being too scared to sleep after all. They didn't say more until they were getting out of the van and heading toward the front door.

"I usually just break in but he'll probably let us in if we knock."

As it turned out they didn't need to. Hardison could hear the mechanical sound of several deadbolts as he climbed the few steps and the door opened before they could reach it. Eliot stood there with tousled hair in a white undershirt, plaid cotton pants and a soft-looking flannel jacket and with dark circles under his eyes. Hardison braced himself for a snarky comment or at least some growling, but Eliot just moved aside and let them him.

Parker guided Hardison to the bedroom while Eliot locked the door behind them. He had known where it was, but he never had a reason to go inside. It was exactly like he had imagined: sparsely furnished and utterly devoid of decorations, like the rest of his townhouse. The only sign that someone actually lived here was a book on the nightstand with Eliot's glasses resting over it. You'd think he wasn't a millionaire. Eliot hadn't even had a TV before Hardison insisted on bringing one. 

Parker nudged him toward the bed. He gave her a Look. She nudged him harder. Before Hardison could decided if he was really doing this or not, Eliot came in, without the flannel jacket he had been wearing to open the door. He went to the side of the bed closest the window, laid on his side on the edge and didn't acknowledge their presence. But he did leave them plenty of space. 

Parker nudged him again.

Hardison got in bed, because it was either that or stand there creepily staring at the bed. Or leaving, but he wasn't leaving. He laid down on his back in the middle and gave Parker a 'what now' look. Parker took off her shirt. Of course she did. Just like that. Hardison hastily turned on his side and stared at the back of Eliot's head. Eliot didn't react in any way to the sound of Parker undressing.

Was she going to sleep naked? This wasn't what he had signed up for. It was all very well for Parker and Eliot to sleep naked in bed together, that made sense in their relationship somehow, but Hardison was tentatively dating Parker and he wasn't ready for naked.

But no, he could hear the sound of drawers being opened, then some rustling of clothes before the bed dipped on his other side as Parker joined them. She pulled the blanket over them. And just like that, they were all lying in bed together and no words had been exchanged. 

After a moment, she shifted behind him and, carefully, pressed herself against his back and wrapped an arm around him in a rare display of physical affection. This was nice. He kind of wanted to turn around and wrap her in his arm, but just because she was in a touching mood didn't mean she'd want to be held, so he'd enjoy his little spoon status instead.

But maybe he could have his cake and eat it, too. He reached forward, careful not to disturb Parker's hold, and, hoping his access to post-trauma cuddles hadn't expired yet, he pulled Eliot closer. Eliot didn't resist, and didn't kick Hardison out of the bed when he tucked him under his chin. He curled his fingers around Hardison's wrist without trying to pull it away and some tension bled out of him, like he had still been on edge too.

Hardison took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. The dark was a lot less scary when he could hear the quiet breathing around him. And the cuddling was a plus.

* * *

Hardison woke up the next day to soft snoring in his ear and Parker's leg thrown over him. He was pretty sure Eliot was awake, but he hadn't moved even though Hardison had been drooling on his hair in his sleep. He wouldn't mind doing this again. But without the trauma this time.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this series is asking for a part three, but I don't know that that's gonna happen.


End file.
